3 Herbs to Soothe and Relieve a Colicky Baby

Relieving an infant from colic pain is undoubtedly one of the first major challenges of parenthood. The otherwise well-fed, healthy baby may cry inconsolably for more than three hours at a stretch when colic pain strikes. Nothing seems to be able to relief the baby and anxious parents are often left wondering what went wrong. Colicky babies have it hard. The problem with small babies is that they cannot state the reason for their discomfort and this takes a toll on their parents. The parents end up feeling tired and stressed out and often spend sleepless nights suffering silently.

Severe abdominal pain due to undigested lactose in the gut (lactose intolerance especially for formula milk) accompanied with gas/bloating is the most common cause. There are number of other possibilities too, including acid reflux, indigestion, constipation, oversensitivity to light/ noise,urinary tract infections, allergies, injury, growing digestive system accompanied with muscular spasm. Often hormones secreted from a still-developing nervous system cause stomachaches or fussy mood in babies.

Over-the-counter anti-gas /pain relieving medicine can do more harm to your baby’s weak system than benefit. Instead, go for the more holistic route. Fortunately, there are natural herbs that have traditionally been heralded as an easy way to calm a colicky baby. Make sure you check out with your pediatrician before trying any herbal treatment on your baby. Here are 3 colic pain comforting herbs along with their recipes.

Chamomile: Tea made from chamomile flower acts a curative that soothes intestinal cramps resulting from colic relieving babies and adults alike. Boil water for a few minutes and dip Chamomile flower in it for some time until the color changes to lemon yellow. Strain out the flowers and collect the tea in a cup. As this tea is pretty strong dilute it well before filling up your baby’s feeding bottle. Half a cup of tea can be fed to your infant in the course of a day in case of colic pain. Cool the broth well in refrigerator and feed your infant intermittently if possible three times a day. Using vervain, licorice, fennel, and lemon balm along with Chamomile will make it an even more effective medicine to battle bouts of colic.

Hyssop: Mix one teaspoonful powdery herb in boiled water and allow it to settle down for twenty minutes or so. Sieve it clean and gradually administer the tasteless, colorless liquid at fixed intervals. You will get good results in colic pain however do inform a doctor before trying out this home remedy. There is still inadequacy of conclusive evidence that this is a foolproof remedy and moreover since it has mild sedative it is recommended to use in small quantities only.

Caraway: Mix a tablespoon of caraway seeds in boiled water and steep for some time in a closed lid kettle. Strain the liquid and store it in a refrigerator before feeding at an interval of half an hour to your colicky baby.

Herbs like yarrow, garden angelica, fumitory, peppermint and cinnamon are also known to cure colic pain in a natural way. Be a little cautious however while feeding peppermint tea to your infant. Being menthol based there is a chance that it might gag your baby. These herbs can cure gas pain in infants and are in fact approved of in Germany for being great curatives of intestinal spasm.

One caution note: Always procure dried herbs from quality companies such as Mountain Rose Herbs. Contaminants in the herbs can cause dangerous neurological problems in infants.

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